Targeted protection assembly

ABSTRACT

A targeted protection assembly operable to protectively cover an item that is to be transported or stored. The targeted protection assembly includes a base and a cover delimiting an interior volume in which an item to be transported or stored can be disposed. The cover is at least partially configured with an inflatable portion in which an inflating medium can be disposed to expand the inflatable portion to, or maintain the inflatable portion at, an inflated disposition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/222,831, entitled “TARGETEDPROTECTION ASSEMBLY” filed Sep. 24, 2015, which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a targeted protection assemblyoperable to protectively cover an item that is to be transported orstored. Additionally, the present invention relates to a cover forproviding targeted protection in relation to an item that is to betransported or stored.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,390, special containers are used onaircraft for storing fragile parcels containing breakable or perishablegoods, or for storing passenger luggage. As set forth in U.S. Pat. No.7,540,390, due to the limited space available in aircraft cargo holds,the shape of such a container is generally designed to fit the shape ofthe walls of the aircraft cargo hold or luggage compartment. Thus,according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,390, one of the most important factorsairlines use in selecting a suitable container for use in an aircraftcargo hold is gross weight. The heavier the container, the heavier theairplane and the more fuel that must be used to fly a predetermineddistance.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,390 further notes that, in order to reduce the spaceoccupied by such a container once it has been emptied, such a containerhas been designed to collapse. For example, according to U.S. Pat. No.7,540,390, U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,612 discloses a collapsible aircraftcontainer which has a rigid base frame supporting an accordion foldingframe. The collapsible container has sides made of canvas and sheetmetal plates. The frames are made of steel. Therefore, the container isheavy, even when empty.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,390 notes that another collapsible aircraftcontainer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,405 and this collapsibleaircraft container has a base, support posts and roof made of aluminumand flexible side walls formed from light weight fabric. According toU.S. Pat. No. 7,540,390, due to the support posts, this container isheavy, even when empty.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,390 asserts that, in each of the noted collapsibleaircraft containers, the less the weight the better, as long as thecontainer is sturdy enough to handle normal wear and tear of such use.Consequently, according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,540,390, there is a need fora light weight, collapsible airline container which does not include aframe or support posts, thereby reducing its weight.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One aspect of the disclosure relates to a targeted protection assemblyoperable to protectively cover an item that is to be transported orstored. The targeted protection assembly includes a base and a coverdelimiting an interior volume in which an item to be transported orstored can be disposed, the cover being at least partially configuredwith an inflatable portion in which an inflating medium can be disposedto expand the inflatable portion to, or maintain the inflatable portionat, an inflated disposition.

Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a cover for providingtargeted protection in relation to an item that is to be transported orstored. The cover includes a structure delimiting an interior volume inwhich an item to be transported or stored can be disposed, the coverbeing at least partially configured with an inflatable portion in whichan inflating medium can be disposed to expand the inflatable portion to,or maintain the inflatable portion at, an inflated disposition, thecover being disposable relative to a base on which the item to betransported or stored is located so as to provide targeted protection tothe item.

An advantage of the present disclosure is that the targeted protectionassembly provides a light weight, collapsible airline container.

Further aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein. Thefeatures as discussed above, as well as other features and advantages ofthe present disclosure, will be appreciated and understood by thoseskilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a partially exploded front perspective view of the targetedprotection assembly of the present invention, showing a cargo pallet, aliaison member mounted on the cargo pallet, and a representative item ofcargo in the form of an automobile disposed on the liaison member andadditionally showing a cover, shown separate from the other components,that is configured to provide a cover function;

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of the targeted protection assemblyof the present invention shown in FIG. 1A and showing the coverproviding a cover function over the cargo pallet, the liaison membermounted on the cargo pallet, and the automobile disposed on the liaisonmember;

FIG. 2 is a fully exploded front perspective view of the targetedprotection assembly shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a hybrid version of the cover ofthe present invention, wherein the cover is formed of partially inflatedcomponents and partially formed of non-inflated soft textile components;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a further version of the targetedprotection assembly;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partial front perspective view of one version ofa locking channel of a cargo pallet and showing an exemplary version ofan interconnecting piece for interconnecting the cover with the channellock of the cargo pallet;

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a plurality of air cargo palletsand showing a stack of collapsed covers disposed on the topmost one ofthe stacked pallets;

FIG. 7A is a front perspective view of one version of a liaison memberin its deployed condition;

FIG. 7B is a front perspective view of the one version of a liaisonmember shown in FIG. 7A and showing the liaison member in itsnon-deployed condition;

FIG. 7C is an enlarged front perspective view taken from region 7C ofFIG. 7A;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the targeted protection assemblyshown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B and showing the targeted protectionassembly in dashed lines in a cargo transport disposition on anairplane;

FIG. 9 is a view of FIG. 2 shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,369;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an air cargo pallet; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-section taken along the line 11-11 of the palletshown in FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a more thorough description of the present invention.It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known features have not been described in detailso as not to obscure the invention.

The present invention provides, in one aspect thereof, a targetedprotection assembly operable to protectively cover an item that is to betransported or stored. Additionally, the present invention provides, inanother aspect thereof, a cover for providing targeted protection inrelation to an item that is to be transported or stored. With referenceto FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 2, additional details of the targetedprotection assembly will now be provided. The targeted protectionassembly, generally designated as the targeted protection assembly 100,includes a base exemplarily configured as an air cargo pallet 110, aliaison member 210, and a cover 310. The components of the targetedprotection assembly 100 cooperate together to protectively cover an itemof cargo that is to be transported via a mode of transportation such as,for example, via airplane, via rails such as on a train, via a roadsystem such as, for example, via a truck, or via a sea vessel. Thepallet 110 by itself, or in combination with the liaison member 210, mayadditionally provide a relative stabilization platform for the item ofcargo in that the cargo, such as an automobile 410, can be removablysecured to the pallet 110, the liaison member 210, or both, and therebybe restrained from moving from its disposition on the liaison member 210in the event of the occurrence of certain forces exerted upon, orimpacts against, the targeted protection assembly 100 within aprescribed range.

The item of cargo is representatively shown in the form of theautomobile 410 and the liaison member 210 is configured with a mass andsize in coordination with the mass and size of the automobile 410 suchthat the liaison member 210 is preferably not plastically deformed whenthe automobile 410 is disposed on it and such that the four tires of theautomobile are in contact with the liaison member 210 and preferably donot extend outwardly of the outer periphery of the liaison member 210.

As an example of the mass and dimension considerations that can be takeninto account among the pallet 110, the liaison member 210, and theautomobile 410, the pallet 110 may have a length dimension of, forexample, 125 inches, and a width dimension of, for example, 96 inches,and the liaison member 210 may have corresponding length and widthdimensions such that the pallet 110 extends under the entirety of theliaison member 210 and extends as well under the entirety of theautomobile 410.

The liaison member 210 can be secured via any suitable means to thepallet 110 such as, for example, via a latching system or a tie-downsystem. A tie-down system, for example, may include cables, chains, orother flexible members of suitable strength that are removably attachedto a location on the liaison member 210 at one end and, at another end,are removably attached to the pallet 110. In one embodiment, the liaisonmember 210 can be at least partially secured to the pallet 110 bynon-flexible members, including, for example, mechanical fasteners.

In accordance with one cover approach of the present invention, thecover 310 may be connected to the liaison member 210 and, in turn, theliaison member 210 may be connected to the pallet 110, wherein the cover310 is thereby indirectly connected to the pallet 110. According to analternate cover approach of the present invention, the cover 310 may beconnected directly to the pallet 110 via, for example, suitable latchingor tie-down mechanisms while, as noted, the liaison member 210 is itselfdirectly connected to the pallet 110. With respect to both approaches tosecuring the cover 310 to the pallet 110, the objective is to secure thecover 310 relative to the automobile 410 such that the cover 310 createsa protective volume in which the cover provided targeted protection tothe automobile 410 as the automobile is transported and/or stored whilesupported by the targeted protection assembly 100.

Once the automobile 410 has been disposed on the liaison member 210, theautomobile 410 can be secured by any suitable securement means to thepallet 110, the liaison member 210, or both. For example, a plurality ofseparate tie-down mechanisms can be provided, each engaging a locationat a respective wheel of the automobile such as a tie rod or a tiremounted on the wheel, and each being removably secured to the pallet110, the liaison member 210, or both. The objective in securing theautomobile 410 to the pallet 110, the liaison member 210, or both is toensure that the automobile cannot shift beyond tolerable limits duringits transport or storage when forces are exerted upon the targetedprotection assembly 100 or impacts against the targeted protectionassembly 100 occur within a prescribed range. For example, forcescreated due to accelerations or decelerations of the transport aircraftor vehicle may occur and the automobile should nonetheless be maintainedin its disposition in the targeted protection assembly 100.

With further reference now to the deployment, non-deployment, andconfiguration of the cover 310, the cover 310 can be configured, in oneversion, with an inflatable structure having suitable compartments intowhich compressed air or another inflating medium can be injected toinflate the inflatable structure. Preferably, the cover 310 isself-standing—that is, once an inflating medium has been disposed in theinflatable structure of the cover 310, the cover can stand in a3-dimensional form (3-D) in which it delimits an interior volume ofsufficient size for accommodating the automobile 410. The thus-delimitedinterior volume need not mandatorily be a volume that is either fullyenclosed by the cover 310 itself or by the cover 310 and the liaisonmember 210 in combination.

As desired, the longitudinal ends of the cover 310 can be formedentirely or substantially entirely of inflatable components or,alternatively, may be formed of a mix of inflatable components andnon-inflating components such as, for example, soft textile components.Additionally, as desired, one longitudinal end of the cover 310 may beprovided with an opening flap wherein the entire longitudinal end isformed with a hinge or other securement member that permits the entirelongitudinal end to be displaced to an out-of-the-way position,whereupon the automobile 410 can be driven into or out of the interiorvolume formed by the cover 310. Alternatively or additionally, a door ora door-like structure may be configured in the one longitudinal end ofthe cover 310 that allows access into the interior volume once the cover310 has been disposed on the liaison member 210 and the pallet 110.

The cover 310 is in complete, or substantially complete, non-contactrelationship to the automobile 410. That is, the cover 310 does notcontact any surface of the automobile 410, at least while the inflatableportion of the cover 310 is in its inflated condition.

With further reference to FIG. 3, a hybrid version of the cover 310 mayinclude a soft textile lengthwise wall portion 312 that extends from onelongitudinal end of the cover to the other longitudinal end of the coverand that does not comprise any inflatable components. In addition, aplurality of inflatable ribs 314 can be provided on the remainderportion of the cover 310 that cooperate with the non-inflatable portion312 to together form the interior volume of the cover 310. Preferably,this hybrid version of the cover 310 is also self-standing when the ribs314 are inflated.

With reference now to FIG. 4, which is a front perspective view of afurther version of the targeted protection assembly, the targetedprotection assembly 100 can be configured to include a soft textileportion secured to a plurality of spaced apart reinforcing ribs eachformed of an inflatable air tube such as, for example, the rib 314described with respect to FIG. 3. The cover 310 can optionally beprovided with non-inflatable support components such as, for example, aplurality of hollow tubes 316 each having a resiliently biased support318, such as cord extending therethrough. In one embodiment, the support318 can be resilient members, such as interconnected segments offiberglass rods. Each hollow tube 316 can be inserted through a seriesof laterally spaced mounting sleeves (not shown) extending from the softtextile portion.

With further reference to FIG. 5, the pallet 110 is provided with alocking channel 112 that extends along a top surface of the palletadjacent the periphery of the pallet. The channel is configured toreceive therein securement devices that are secured to the liaisonmember 210, the cover 310, or both. For further details about onepossible configuration of the locking channel 112 of the pallet 110,reference is now had to FIG. 9, which is a view of FIG. 2 shown in U.S.Pat. No. 5,772,369. It is to be understood that the pallet 110 of thetargeted protection assembly 100 of the present invention may beconfigured as one known type of air cargo pallet as is described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,772,369. FIG. 2 shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,369 illustratesa corner section of a flat sheet metal pallet 10, such as commonly usedin air cargo shipping. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,369, the pallet10 has a track 16 which extends along edge portions 17 of the pallet 10,and the track 16 serves to permit releasable mounting of a suitablyconfigured anchor fitting.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show some details of an air cargo pallet having alocking channel feature. As seen in FIG. 10, which is a plan view of anexemplary embodiment of the pallet, the pallet may have a lengthdimension of 125 inches and a width dimension of 96 inches. As shown inFIG. 11, which is a cross-section taken along line 11-11 of a portion ofthe pallet shown in FIG. 10, the locking channel 412 of the pallet isshown as having an open top slot 414.

With continuing reference to FIG. 5, the cover 310 is provided with aplurality of interconnect elements 320 spaced along the lower peripheryof the inflatable (or hybrid inflatable and non-inflatable) portion ofthe cover. FIG. 5 shows one of these interconnect elements 320 and eachinterconnect element 320 is configured to be removably inserted into alocking channel 112 and to be received therein in a manner in which thelocking channel 112 limits the movement of the interconnect element 320in a height direction perpendicular to the length and width dimensionsof the cover 310.

With reference now to further details of the liaison member 210, theliaison member may include interior volumes in which, for example,inflation control and regulating equipment (not shown) can be disposed.Additionally, the liaison member 210 may have a suitable surface suchas, for example, a corrugated surface, that enhances the ability of theliaison member to properly retain the automobile 410 disposed thereon.The liaison member 210 can be formed of a lightweight alloy or aluminum.The liaison member 210 preferably has an outer periphery that does notextend outwardly of the outer periphery of the pallet 110 and, ifdesired, the liaison member can be formed with a tapered or inclinedsurface at one end to facilitate the loading of the automobile 410thereon. In this regard, as seen in FIG. 2, a pair of ramps 510 can beprovided that facilitate the loading of the automobile 410 onto theliaison member 210. The pair of ramps 510 may be formed of a lightweightalloy or aluminum material and may be removably detachable to one end ofthe pallet 110 or the liaison member 210 so that the ramps can beremoved and optionally stored in the aircraft or within or proximate tothe interior volume of the cover 310.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of a plurality of the air cargopallets 110 stacked one on another and showing a stack of collapsedcovers 310 disposed on the topmost one of the stacked pallets. Thearrangement illustrated in FIG. 6 is an example of one possibleconfiguration of an approach for shipping several assemblies 100 from afirst location to a second location after the respective items of cargos(not shown) that have been transported while supported on the assemblies100 have been unload at the first location. The present invention allowsa user to reap the benefits of reducing the footprint or spacerequirements needed to ship the now-unloaded assemblies 100 from thefirst location to the second location in that the pallets 110 can bestacked upon one another—whereby the stacked pallets 110 require only asingle pallet footprint on a floor surface such as, for example, a floorsurface in a cargo bay of an aircraft—and a number of collapsed covers310—each of which has been collapsed to a substantially smaller sizethan in its deployed condition—can be, arrayed on the topmost one of thestacked pallets 110 or otherwise stowed elsewhere in the shipmentaircraft or vehicle. A collapsed cover 310 may be, for example, a coverin which some or all of the inflatable portions thereof have beenpartially or fully deflated. It can be understood that the capability toship or store a cover 310 while in a collapsed condition beneficiallypermits a user to avoid the need to dedicate the use of a shippingvolume or storage volume that would otherwise be required for the coverin its deployed condition.

With further reference to reaping the benefits of reducing the footprintor space requirements needed to ship the now-unloaded assemblies 100from the first location to the second location, the liaison members 210can also be arranged and/or configured to enhance these benefits. Forexample, FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate one version of a liaison member 210that provides space-reducing benefits. As seen in FIG. 7A, which is afront perspective view of one version of a liaison member 210 in itsdeployed condition, the liaison member 210 is configured with a pair oflateral hinges 212 that are longitudinally spaced from another. As shownin FIG. 7B, which is a front perspective view of the one version of anliaison member 210 shown in FIG. 7A and showing the liaison member 210in its non-deployed condition, the lateral hinges 212 permit respectiveend portions 214 and 216 to be folded upon a center portion 218 of theliaison member 210, thereby effectively reducing the footprint of theliaison member 210 to approximately one-half of its footprint in itsdeployed condition.

An enlarged detail view 7C of FIG. 7A illustrates a securement aspect ofthe liaison member 210 via which the liaison member 210 can be removablysecured to a pallet 110. As shown in FIG. 7C, which is an enlargementtaken from view 7C of FIG. 7A, the periphery of the liaison member 210has a plurality of spaced flanges 220 each extending outwardly from therespective one of the end portions 214, 216 or center portion 218 towhich it is secured. Each flange 220 includes a bore 222 having acounterbore portion 228 configured to permit the shaft portion of a bolt224 to extend therethrough while the counterbore portion 228 forming thetop of the bore 222 is configured to receive a threaded nut 226 that canbe removably threaded onto the bolt 224. The threaded nut 226 can bethreaded onto the bolt 224, once the bolt has been inserted through abore (not shown) formed in the pallet 110 that is so located as to be inregistry with a respective bore 222 of a flange 220 of the liaisonmember 210 when the liaison member 210 is in its deployed position onthe pallet 110, whereupon the arrangement of the flanges 220, the bolts224, and the threaded nuts 226 removably secure the liaison member 210to the pallet 110.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the targeted protection assemblyshown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B and showing the targeted protectionassembly 100 in dashed lines in a cargo transport disposition on anairplane AIR-PL. It can be seen that the inflated portion or portions ofthe cover 310 are in their respective inflated conditions and thisinflating task can be accomplished before the automobile 410 (FIGS. 1A,1B) has been disposed on the liaison member 210 (FIGS. 1A, 1B) or afterthe automobile 410 has been disposed on the liaison member 210.

While the disclosure has been described with reference to an embodiment,it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changesmay be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereofwithout departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essentialscope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not belimited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best modecontemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosurewill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A targeted protection assembly operable toprotectively cover an item that is to be transported or stored, thetargeted protection assembly comprising: a base; and a cover delimitingan interior volume in which an item to be transported or stored can bedisposed, the cover being at least partially configured with aninflatable portion in which an inflating medium can be disposed toexpand the inflatable portion to, or maintain the inflatable portion at,an inflated disposition.
 2. The targeted protection assembly accordingto claim 1, wherein the inflatable portion comprising a rib.
 3. Thetargeted protection assembly according to claim 1 and further comprisinga liaison member disposed intermediate the base and the cover, theliaison member being operably disposed to contact the item.
 4. Thetargeted protection assembly according to claim 3, wherein the liaisonmember is operable to support a motor vehicle.
 5. The targetedprotection assembly according to claim 4, wherein the cover is innon-contact relationship to the item.
 6. The targeted protectionassembly according to claim 1, wherein the base includes a deployedcondition and a non-deployed condition, the non-deployed conditionhaving a reduced footprint relative to the deployed condition.
 7. Thetargeted protection assembly according to claim 6, wherein the basecomprising a hinge interconnecting a first portion and a second portionof the base, the first portion being folder over the second portionabout the hinge when the base is in the non-deployed condition.
 8. Acover for providing targeted protection in relation to an item that isto be transported or stored, the cover comprising: a structuredelimiting an interior volume in which an item to be transported orstored can be disposed, the cover being at least partially configuredwith an inflatable portion in which an inflating medium can be disposedto expand the inflatable portion to, or maintain the inflatable portionat, an inflated disposition, the cover being disposable relative to abase on which the item to be transported or stored is located so as toprovide targeted protection to the item.
 9. The cover according to claim8, wherein the cover is in non-contact relationship to the item.
 10. Thecover according to claim 8, wherein the inflatable portion comprising arib.